From the top of Bunardzhik Hill above Plovdiv rises the figure of a soldier with a submachine gun pointed toward the ground. In 1957, it became part of the cityscape as the Monument to the Soviet Army, while the people of Plovdiv called it “Alyosha.”
The monument was erected to mark the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution. The granite statue itself is about 10.5 meters tall, while together with its pedestal, the total height is stated to be between 16.5 and 17 meters. Sources give different dates for the unveiling—May 5 or November 5, 1957—but the year is undisputed.
The Soldier Behind the Name “Alyosha”
The figure was modeled on Alexey Ivanovich Skurlatov, a Soviet soldier and communications specialist who took part in World War II. In 1944, he was sent to Bulgaria, where he worked on restoring the telephone line between Sofia and Plovdiv.
In Plovdiv, Skurlatov became friends with Metodi Vitanov. Later, Vitanov gave sculptor Vasil Radoslavov a photograph of himself together with the Soviet soldier. This image became the basis for the face and figure of the monument.
“He was in Plovdiv, served there for a year, and a photograph of him remained and was used as the prototype for the creation of the monument,” Kamen Stoyanov, who researched the history of the monument, told the Bulgarian National Radio.
The Collective Project
The architectural design was developed by Boris Markov, Petko Tsvetkov and Nikolay Marangozov. The sculptural team consisted of Vasil Radoslavov, Aleksandar Zankov, Georgi Kotsev and Ivan Topalov.
The original concept for the monument underwent changes before arriving at the single figure of the soldier. The choice of Bunardzhik Hill underscored the monument’s role as a dominant landmark, visible from much of the city.
From a Military Image to a City Symbol
The name “Alyosha” gradually became established. In 1962, composer Eduard Kolmanovsky and poet Konstantin Vanshenkin created the song “Alyosha,” dedicated to the soldier and the monument. It became popular in the Soviet Union and contributed to the fame of the Plovdiv monument.
For a long time, Skurlatov himself did not know that he had served as the prototype for the granite figure. His identity was confirmed after a journalistic investigation and the exchange of photographs and letters. In 1982, he visited Plovdiv and stood before his stone likeness for the first time.
Thus, the monument on Bunardzhik Hill remains at once a document of the political era, a work of monumental art and one of Plovdiv’s most recognizable silhouettes.
Sources: dariknews.bg, old-news.bnr.bg